Synopsis

Few styles are more iconic than the finery donned by the crowds at Churchill Downs. For the last decade, Lili Kobielski has photographed Kentucky Derby spectators for Vogue as if they were models on a runway. Enjoy this close-up look at Americas most inimitable sports fashion event!Twenty horses120 seconds150 yearstimeless fashion. From the hats in the grandstands to the silks on the track, fashion is as much a part of the Kentucky Derby as the thoroughbreds, the jockeys, and the mint juleps. Lili Kobielski has been photographing the Kentucky Derby for Vogue for a decade. She aptly captures the vibrant colors, jovial festivities, and, of course, the fantastic headwear of this iconic day in sports. Kentucky Derby Fashion celebrates the spectators of this epic event and illustrates how their creativity and style make the Derby what it is. The passion for the sport is best displayed by the fashion in the grandstands. With an introduction written by Helmut Lang and contributions from Churchill Downs and the Vogue editorial team, readers get a sense of the Derbys hallowed place in the worlds of fashion and sports.

About The Author

Lili Kobielski graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2010 with a BFA in photography, and received her master’s degree in digital media from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2012. Her work has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Huffington Post, Narratively, Thirteen, Quartz, The Wilson Quarterly, Vice and The Vera Institute of Justice. Her first book, Rockabye, was published in 2015 by Daylight Books. She is a winner of American Photography 32 and American Photography 33 and her work has been shown in the 2017 exhibitions Re-imagining a Safe Space at the Nathan Cummings Foundation and On Freedom at the Aperture Foundation.